Schema Theory And Teaching English Reading

With the increase of the exchange and cooperation between countries in the world, English is being used more and more widely. Reading English has turned very good way of acquiring the information and improving the understanding between one another. For the purpose of improving English level, people have a need to apply schema theory to direct their reading activities.Chapter 1 focuses on three developmental stages of English reading theories, the first two of which are respectively traditional theory and cognitive theory of reading, which both have obvious limitations. As the third stage, schema theory puts more emphasis on the process of the informational interaction between writers and readers, avoiding the side effects caused by the two former theories. In the second chapter, reading comprehension is defined, indicating reading comprehension is a process of cognition, acquisition and informational interaction. Chapter 3 makes a general introduction to schema theory. According to schema theory,schemata can be classified into three categories mainly---languageschemata, content schemata and formal schemata. It has been stressed that readers should activate cultural background schemata and apply some reading skills and strategies while reading. The importance of applying schema theory in reading has been stated clearly. Chapter 4 clarifies the approaches of employing schema theory and the reflection on it. In chapter 5, an experimental research on the direction of schema theory in reading is carefully designed and carried out effectively , ending up with supporting the argument.The thesis involves several questions to be discussed: What are the schemata functioning in English reading? How can readers' schemata be activated? In order to improve reading ability, how can teachers guide readers to construct new schemata in the course of English teaching?In conclusion, The thesis combines the detailed study on schema theory with an experimental research, illustrating the fact that schema theory plays a directive role in English reading.